US SOCCER OFFERS EQUAL GENDER PAY

THE United States Soccer Federation said on Tuesday it had offered “identical” contracts to its men’s and women’s national teams as part of efforts to end a long-running gender pay dispute.

A statement from the USSF said the proposed contracts had been sent to the players’ associations acting on behalf of the men’s and women’s teams, with the goal being to bring both national squads under a single collective bargaining agreement.

“US Soccer firmly believes that the best path forward for all involved, and for the future of the sport in the US, is a single pay structure for both senior national teams,” the USSF said in a statement.

“This proposal will ensure that USWNT and USMNT players remain among the highest paid senior national team players in the world, while providing a revenue sharing structure that would allow all parties to begin anew and share collectively in the opportunity that combined investment in the future of US Soccer will deliver over the course of a new CBA.”

The federation said on Tuesday that US Soccer would not agree to any collective bargaining agreement “that does not take the important step of equalising Fifa World Cup prize money”.